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Sunday, September 09, 2012

Welcome back, Rachelle. I love having you here. What are some of the
spiritual themes you like to write about?

Great question! In my
suspense stories, my characters are often in deadly danger fighting for their
lives. Thus I often find myself writing
about God’s protection, and trusting God, and finding faith even in life’s
bleakest moments.

What other books of
yours are coming out soon?

This December my first Love Inspired Historical hits the
shelves. It’s called A Royal Marriage, and it takes place in
801 AD in the fictional Mediterranean Kingdom of Lydia, which is the kingdom
featured in the Reclaiming the Crown series.

Then in March, readers can look for the first suspense book
of my new Protecting the Crown series, which centers around the men of the
Lydian Royal Guard who readers have met in the Reclaiming the Crown
Series. The first book, Defending the Duchess, stars Linus
Murati, who readers first met in Protecting
the Princess.

If you could spend an
evening with one contemporary person (not a family member of yours), who would
it be and why?

It would be great fun to spend an evening with a real prince
or princess, to learn a bit about what they’re like in person.

What historical
person would you like to meet (besides Jesus) and why?

There are so many intriguing historical figures who I’d love
to meet, including Dietrich Bonheoffer and Corrie Ten Boom.

I’d love to talk to
Corrie Ten Boom. How can you encourage authors who have been receiving only
rejections from publishers?

Keep sharpening your craft.
Read what the publishers publish.
Read the publisher’s guidelines, follow their blogs, find out the
specific genres or types of books they’re looking for, and then write the story
they can’t refuse.

Tell us about the
featured book.

The Missing Monarch is the fourth and final book in the
Reclaiming the Crown series. Readers
have followed the four royal siblings, heirs to the Lydian crown, as they
struggle to restore peace in the wake of an insurgent uprising. In this last book, we finally meet Thaddeus,
who’s been missing-presumed-dead for the past six years.

Please give us the
first page of the book.

"Regis?"

The Crown Prince Thaddeus of Lydia didn't hesitate to respond to
his prearranged code name. "Yes?"

"Have you seen the news?"

"Always."

"Then you know—?"

"Yes." Thaddeus didn't need his friend Kirk, the
sole person on earth who knew how to reach him, to elaborate any more over the
phone. Yes, he knew that the tiny kingdom
of Lydia had been nearly
overtaken by insurgent forces ten days before. He also knew who was behind
those forces—a man who went by the code name 8, short for Octavian, an
egomaniac would-be despot, who'd stop at nothing to achieve the power he
desired. What Thad didn't know, was how to stop him from taking over the tiny
kingdom.

"You know that we need you?" A voice broke in, a
female. One of his sisters? Princess Isabelle or Princess Anastasia, he
couldn't be sure which one.

"You need me to stay right where I am." Thad hoped
his sister could hear the authority in his voice. He was, after all, her big
brother, besides being the crown prince of the Christian nation. He knew what
he was talking about.

"No—" Isabelle's voice for sure. "We need you
on the thr—"

"Don't say it." Thad interrupted her before she
could drop any words that might give away his identity. They had no way of
being certain their line was secure, though he knew Kirk would have taken every
possible precaution. The risk was simply too great. If Octavian ever found
where he was hiding, all the sacrifices he'd made would have been in vain.

"We need you here." That was Alexander's voice, so
much more mature than when Thad had left home. But then, Prince Alexander had
been through many trials on behalf of Lydia. "You're the only one
who can end this."

"If I come home, things will only get worse, I promise
you. You have to trust that I know what I'm talking about."

"If you would explain—"

"I can't. Not over the phone. You know that." Thad
took a deep breath, wishing there were some way he could impress upon his
younger siblings the gravity of the situation. They couldn't underestimate the
foe they were up against. "Please don't try to contact me again. The risks
are far too great."

"You need to come home." It was Kirk's voice
again, insistent this time.

"No. I need to go. Goodbye." Thad gripped the
phone, knowing he needed to end the call and cut the line that exposed him to
potential detection. Still, he hesitated to sever the connection to his family.
He missed them so much, the six long years since he'd seen them last weighing
on his heart.

Anastasia's voice echoed distantly over the still-live line.
"You were right, Kirk. He's determined not to return. I wish we could make
him understand, but we can't risk trying to visit him, and he won't listen to
any of us."

"There is one person he might listen to. I don't know
if I can convince her—"

"Don't!" Thad nearly shouted, glad he hadn't hung
up the phone after all. "Don't bring her into this. Never speak of her
again."

"But—"

"No. There's nothing she can say to me that will change
anything. She deserves her privacy. Do you understand?" Silence ticked by
in tense seconds, and Thad feared the connection had been severed after all.
"Promise me you won't try to contact her."

Reluctance filled Kirk's voice. "I promise."

"Thank you. I've got to go." Thad ended the call,
feeling even more alone than he had mere moments before, the reminder of his
long-lost wife prickling the long-dead parts of his heart like blood rushing
back to a sleeping appendage, as though to rouse his buried feelings back to
life.

He trusted his friend. Kirk would keep his promise not to
reach out to Monica.

Thad stared at the phone in his hand, replaying the details
of their conversation. They hadn't spoken Monica's name. And surely their line
was secure. So why did Thad feel such a breathless sense of panic, as though
somehow, by mentioning a woman he cared about, they'd exposed Monica to
detection?

Because he knew his enemy. And every time he'd
underestimated Octavian before, he'd been wrong. Dead wrong.

I can hardly wait to
get my copy. I’ve read all of this series, including the pre-book on your
website. I love all of them. How can readers find you on the Internet?

Like my author page on facebook, find me on goodreads,
and for the latest information on upcoming stories, new releases, and exclusive
insider information about existing titles, visit my website, www.rachellemccalla.com

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